Anderson council approves rezoning to allow Bestway maintenance and office expansion

The Anderson City Council voted to approve Ordinance 9-26, rezoning nearly 22 acres at 1128 West 66th Street from R-2 (single-family residential) to I-3 (planned industrial), a change the applicants and their attorney said is necessary to build expanded service bays and office space for Bestway/Becks Farms.

Tim Stiers, who introduced the ordinance, told the council the request follows a 5–2 recommendation for approval from the planning commission and that the parcel is surrounded on three sides by R-2 residential zoning. Stiers read concerns raised in an email from city engineer Matt House, which cited potential buffer-yard, drainage and traffic impacts and recommended stronger protections than verbal commitments alone.

Tom Beeman, attorney for Bestway and Becks Farms, said the project is intended to provide additional maintenance capacity — “we only have two bays for over 90 vehicles” — and to add office space for existing employees. He said expansion of the transfer station itself is not contemplated and that transfer-station activity is tightly regulated by state authorities. He described the overall capital investment as substantial — “a $5 to $6,000,000 project” — and said the applicants plan to incorporate a 300-foot buffer, mounding and tree screening into the design.

Council members pressed for clarity about how the public and future councils would be protected from unwanted industrial encroachment. Stiers and Beeman explained that any detailed layout and deviations would be reviewed by the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and that variances can be sought at the BZA hearing. Stiers also outlined the I-3/figure-9 requirements that will be enforced at that time, including minimum lot area, building setbacks, landscaping and limits on outdoor storage.

After limited audience comment and council discussion about the long-term risks of relying on verbal assurances, the council conducted a roll-call vote on the ordinance's second reading; the record in the transcript shows Councilors Turner, Harless, Freeman, Wagner, Landers, Culp, Newman and President Graham voting yes and the ordinance advanced. The ordinance was then introduced for third reading and later recorded as having passed its third reading during the meeting.

The council’s action permits the applicants to proceed to the BZA and to any state licensing required by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The BZA hearing will be the forum to resolve the site-specific buffer, loading and waste-disposal requirements. The ordinance’s passage does not itself approve construction plans or special exceptions; those remain subject to subsequent administrative and permitting processes.

What happens next: the applicants will pursue BZA consideration of special exceptions and any required variances; any state permits (IDEM) would be handled separately and are required for transfer-station operations. The council’s rezoning vote establishes the zoning classification but does not finalize site plans or permit building or transfer-station expansions.